Civil liberties, Conservatism, General Elections, Labour Party and Socialism

Lady candidate sounds a warning

Miss Margaret Roberts, prospective Tory candidate for the Dartford Division, speaking at a meeting of the St. Alban's Ward Conservative Association on Tuesday evening, sounded a warning on the issues of the next General Election. When it came, she said, what they would really and fundamentally have to decide was not only the problems of the cost of living, taxation and housing, but the problem of whether British liberty was to survive or was it to go the way of Communist Russia.

"One thing is certain," she said. "If we have another five years of Socialist government by the end of that time this country will be nearer Communist than Socialist. That is the danger we are facing."

Earlier, Miss Roberts had said that neither she nor anyone else knew when the next election would be.

"But," she warned, "we must not full ourselves into any false hopes based on the fact that there might be a revolt in the Labour Party ranks ... For us the only basis on which we shall win an election will be by our own positive policy and our own effort. We must not wait for the other side to make mistakes to get us back on their failures."

Condemning the present Government's lust for power, she said that Conservatives believed that a government should be the servant of the people and not their ruler. The Conservative attitude was that every man and woman had the right to live their own lives to the fullest extent of their capabilities and they would give them that power.

The meeting unanimously adopted Mr. L. F. Chidgey, a teacher at York-road School, as a Tory candidate for the next Borough Council elections and it was agreed to open a panel of candidates for the future.

Mr. G. Pottle (branch chairman), who presided, presented a Rolls razor to Mr. R. W. Mills, who is giving up his position as Conservative Agent at the end of the month.